


first the earth was flat

by fishprincessfeferi (larkgrace)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Implied Relationships, kids being dorks, rated teen for language and also dirk strider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 01:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkgrace/pseuds/fishprincessfeferi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>you yawn as you are forced to study child gods.</p><p>it would probably be more entertaining if you knew what dweebs they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	first the earth was flat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TurntechKnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurntechKnight/gifts).



> happy birthday courtney!!!
> 
> oh man jake's dialogue how do you
> 
> i don't know
> 
> here

_every morning you spend the first four hours of your school day glancing at the clock and fighting off yawns as you wait for the bell to ring for lunch, and you rest your chin in your hand and blink sleepily at the teacher as she talks about math and language and religion._

_out of all your morning classes, religion is probably the least torturous, and you might be able to enjoy it if the teacher didn’t gesture wildly at the poster taped to the chalkboard every five seconds while she babbled on about gods that you didn’t believe in with such rapture that you thought she was going to start salivating. she points to the “warm” side of the poster: blank-faced blonds, drawn as children—which is so stupid, children would make horrible gods—painted on fields of red and orange and purple._

_“the seer and the rogue,” the teacher chirps, “saw the world they had created, and thought the heavens were barren, so the seer gave us the sun and the rogue gave us the night, and together they plotted the stars.”_

_*#*#*_

I must say, I think this world’s sky looks a little dull, Rose says, stretched out on her back on the bare earth. While I can appreciate the fact that the atmosphere somehow produces its own luminescence, I think there’s something to be said for a focal point of light. At the very least, any future race to inhabit the planet is missing out on an opportunity to compose a rendition of ‘You Are My Sunshine.’

for srs, Roxy agrees. an leik no stars n shit what a downer

If I may make a suggestion, Rose says, what if we were to fix it?

Roxy sits up and pulls her mask away from her eyes. ur a genius, she says. obvs u get it from me

Naturally, Rose agrees. Shall we get to work then?

And so Roxy raises her hands, and the light begins to drain from the sky, leeching from the atmosphere and stretching cold shadows across the planet. The shadows deepen and the temperatures plummet. There is a pop and a _whoosh_ of displaced air, and Jade appears, blue-lipped Dave in tow. good gog do you think you could give a guy a little warning before you deep freeze the goddamn planet, he complains.

hush you!!! Jade chirps, breath misting in the air. its not that cold so shut up and watch because this is going to be awesome!!

The sky fades to black, and Jade and Dave vanish into indistinct silhouettes, illuminated only by the subtle glow from their god attire.

Rose reaches for Roxy’s hand. Think of a constellation, she says. One you remember from your universe. And I’ll think of one from mine.

got u, Roxy says, and their eyes close.

When Rose throws her hand to the sky specks of light fly from her fingertips, flit around the atmosphere and grow and pulse and mold into stars above their heads. There are swirling patterns shimmering millions of miles away within seconds.

u dun good, Roxy says approvingly.

Thank you, Rose murmurs, and it is dark enough still to hide her blush. Now for the easy part, I think.

The massive ball of light that will become their sun has an ascension that is just as dramatic, with a good deal more blinking to accompany it.

oh wow rose, Jade says, eyes wide. i didnt think i would like a purple sun but its really neat! She throws herself at Rose, smothers her in sloppy kisses. Rose catches either side of Jade’s face and holds her steady as she kisses her properly.

Thank you, she repeats, breathless.

_*#*#*_

_you drift in and out of awareness as she waves her hands at what you think of as the “cool” side of the poster: all greens and blues and deities with pitch hair, depicted with blithe smiles, wildly contrasting their stone-faced blond counterparts._

_“legends say the witch created the first seeds, and the heir scattered them on all the winds of the world, and when the maid touched them they sprang up and created all the world’s plant life,” the teacher says._

_*#*#*_

are you ready? John says, and holds his hands up, ready to unleash a windstorm on the desert planet.

ready!!! Jade chirps, and behind her Jane gives a reassuring smile and cheers Let ‘er rip!

John sends the winds ripping across the planet, kicking up dust and topsoil, and Jade flings the seeds cupped in her palm high in the air. They all watch as the seeds swirl in the currents, scattering, until the tiny black specks have left their sight; John lets the wind die slowly, until nothing but a light breeze is left to ruffle their hair.

Jane kneels in the dirt and digs her fingers into the cracked desert, and begins to breathe slowly, evenly. Green light starts to shine up through the cracks, and clear to the horizon line the ground grows little green chutes, which spread up and out and become grass, flowers, shrubs, trees.

When she is done, Jane stands and wipes her hands matter-of-factly. we did it!!!!!!! Jade shrieks, and gathers up John and Jane in a hug that lifts them both off the ground. ow ow ow jade i can’t breathe! John croaks, and that’s kind of really bad for me! Jane coughs and wheezes, You’re crushing my ribs!

sorry, Jade says, and plunks them carefully on the ground.

The three of them take a moment to admire their work, until Jane muses …it’s probably going to be a lot harder to find our way back with all these blasted trees in the way.

we probably could have thought this out a little better, Jade agrees.

John summons the wind again to lift them into the air. On their way back to camp they rescue Jake, stranded in a redwood that sprang up under his feet and far too delighted by this Right splendid adventure!

_*#*#*_

_the teacher’s hand moves back to the “warm” side of the poster. if you squinch your eyes half shut it looks almost like fire, punctuated by the black sashes that cover the males’ eyes. “eyes are the windows to the soul!” the teacher chirps, “and the prince and the knight guarded their souls carefully._

_“the prince and the knight worked with the page to create the first of our kind, or so the stories say,” the teacher continues, and you find yourself nodding off. “the prince sculpted a child out of the earth, and gave them a soul. and when the child received this soul they became flesh, and the knight bent time until the child became an adult. but the gods realized that something was still missing,” the teacher says with a sly smile, even though you know what she’s going to say. “so they called on the page, who gave our race its greatest gift: hope.”_

_*#*#*_

its nose looks weird, Dave comments as Dirk steps back from his mud sculpture.

Of course its nose looks weird, it’s not a fuckin’ human, Dirk answers, crossing his arms.

no i mean its like massively out of proportion are we seriously gonna create a race of aliens with giant schnozzes are we gonna be that vindictive, Dave says. and before you even say anything i already know that rose probably has an entire notebook dedicated to my issue with oversized noses and phallic imagery and blah de fucking blah daves a raging homo thank you sister mine

I wasn’t going to say anything, Dirk promises. And forget the fucking nose, it looks fine. If we’re going to be benevolent gods watching from afar we should probably get up a tree or something before we boot this thing up.

oh my gog stop talking like its a robot, Dave gripes, and starts shimmying his way up an oak tree with royal blue leaves. Dirk clambers into a fluorescent pink pine and peers down at the mud statue.

Alright, little guy, he says. Um, I don’t actually know how to do this. I’m more of a destroyer-of-souls and crusher-of-dreams type.

try wiggling your fingers at it and chanting some vaguely magical words, Dave suggests. thats probs what roxy would say

Whatever, Dirk says, and waves a hand at the blob. Alakazam. Abracadabra. Turn-o to life-o.

dyou think we should maybe get jane in on this i mean bringing shit to life is kind of her thing, Dave says.

Nah, you heard what Rose said, Dirk tells him, and then his voice switches to a sugary falsetto. ‘Any living creature without a soul is a sad thing indeed, Mr. Strider. One simply cannot function without a soul.’

yeah well shes been managing pretty well most of her life, Dave grouses. idk what to tell you just try again

So Dirk looks back at the humanoid mud mound and concentrates, the way he does when he builds robots or computer programs, and tries very hard in his mind to build a living being.

There’s—not really a sound, but a shift, and then a rustling below as something moves. There is a ripple and dirt becomes skin, becomes a child standing barefoot in the leaf mulch.

well damn, Dave says. looks like it worked

The child looks up and blinks wide brown eyes. Who are you, it deadpans.

i am your god, Dave answers. now uh idk go be innovative or something

But why.

um, Dave says, and looks to Dirk.

To improve your planet. To improve life for your species.

But why.

Dirk looks back to Dave. I think this is a job for Jake, he says.

So they find Jake and bring him to the child, and he kneels down. Mightily obliged to meet you…er. He pauses. Mister?

But why.

Because youre the first of your kind! Jake says. Because youve got a whole planet ahead of you! A whole future! And because you seem friendly enough and if theres one thing in all of paradox space thats underrated its meeting a pleasant fellow for the first time.

But why.

Because good people make the world better! Jake says. And youve got a whole blank world right in front of you chap. Why its just there waiting to be improved upon!

How.

Well. Cant rightly say i know, Jake says, and scratches his head. What do you say mister strider the younger maybe he needs an adult brain?

your guess is as good as mine, Dave shrugs, but he grips his sword a little tighter and there’s the subtle shift of time bending to a will not its own. They watch as the child grows, taller, broader, completing puberty in a matter of seconds until there is an adult standing and blinking at them.

Alright fellow, Jake says. Go make something amazing!

But why.

Dirk frowns. He must have done something wrong, must have fucked up the build—

Oh! Jake exclaims, with a snap of his fingers. I know just what you need.

There’s a rustle of the wind, and a tiny white glow starts up in the creature’s chest. It grows and grows until it’s too bright to look at, and then—

It fades, but now the creature is smiling. Thank you! it says, and turns and runs into the brush.

Jake stands and brushes off his knees. That was quite splendid Dirk! he says.

Dirk flushes down to his roots.

_*#*#*_

_you groan with pleasure when the bell releases you to go to lunch, and the surge to leave the classroom jams the door. you hear laughter behind you as you stuff books in your locker, and students having a whispered conversation that you catch snippets of as they pass._

_oh wow, dave, a boy says,  they made you sound so pretentious. the knight. i can’t even believe it!_

_yeah well i doubt theyd be talking so highly about the heir if they knew what a dweeb you are, another boy drawls back._

_Boys, a girl chastises them.  Quite frankly, I’m astounded no one so far’s mentioned the horse phallus constellation Dirk snuck in. It’s such an eyesore._

_aw rose let him have his fun, another girl says.  besides i think its funny!_

_your brow furrows. no. it can’t be. but you whip around and—_

_four kids vanish around the corner, two blonds and two brunettes, their shirts blue and green and red and purple._

_you blink. no. you’re hallucinating._

_even so, when you sit down at the lunch table, you can’t quite muster as much vitriol as normal for the daily prayer._


End file.
